An epic quest exposes hidden truths about Leonardo da Vinciโsย Salvator Mundi,ย the recently discovered masterpiece that sold for $450 millionโand might not be the real thing.
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In 2017, Leonardo da Vinciโs small oil painting theย Salvator Mundiย was sold at auction. In the words of its discoverer, the image of Christ as savior of the world is โthe rarest thing on the planet.โ Its $450 million saleย price also makes it the worldโs most expensive painting.
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For two centuries, art dealers had searched in vain for the Holy Grail of art history: a portrait of Christ as theย Salvator Mundiย by Leonardo da Vinci. Many similar paintings of greatly varying quality had been executed by Leonardoโs assistants in theย early sixteenth century. But where was the original by the master himself? In November 2017, Christieโs auction house announced they had it. But did they?
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The Last Leonardoย tells a thrilling tale of a spellbinding icon invested with the power to make or break the reputations of scholars, billionaires, kings, and sheikhs. Ben Lewis takes us to Leonardoโs studio in Renaissance Italy; to the court of Charles I and the English Civil War; to Amsterdam, Moscow, and New Orleans; to the galleries, salerooms, and restorerโs workshop as the painting slowly, painstakingly emerged from obscurity. The vicissitudes of the highly secretive art market are charted across six centuries. It is a twisting tale of geniuses and oligarchs, double-crossings and disappearances, in which weโre never quite certain what to believe. Above all, it is an adventure story about the search for lostย treasure, and a quest for the truth.
Praise for The Last Leonardo
โThe story of the worldโs most expensive painting is narrated with great gusto and formidably researched detail in Ben Lewisโs book. . . . Lewisโs probings of the Salvatorโs backstory raise questions about its historical status and visibility, and these lead in turn to the fundamental question of whether the painting is really an autograph work by Leonardo.โโCharles Nicholl,ย The Guardian
โAs the art historian and critic Ben Lewis shows inย his forensically detailedย andย gripping investigationย into the history, discovery and sales of the painting,ย establishing the truth is like nailing down jelly.โโย Michael Prodger,ย The Sunday Times